1 2 3 4 Tell Me That You Love Me More
by scullyleia
Summary: The thought had run through her head many times. 'What if we had met in a different place, a different time, a different world' The AU meetings of Regina and Robin, mainly in our world. Inspired by "1 2 3 4" by Fiest
1. Chapter 1

Four seconds was all it took.

1

The bullet flies through air and flesh.

2

Blood splatters along the wall behind her.

3

Her body falls to the ground and she slumps down.

4

Her mouth opens a little as she looks up in shock.

4 hours later the cops arrive.

"Hey Locksley" John says.

"Hey John. Who's the vic?"

They both look down at the body lying down on the pavement. Her black hair is covering her eyes but dry blood stains her chin in a line from the corner of her mouth to her neck.

"Regina Mills. Just got out of prison a year ago for some minor crimes. Was pretty rich beforehand. She's done a lot of charity work in these parts recently.

Locksely looks at him strangely.

"My cousin lives in these parts, Graham"

Locksley turns away and looks back at the dead stranger. He feels a strange connection to her. Of course if she was in jail he's probably seen or heard of her.

Sobbing breaks into his thoughts and the sight of a young boy catches his eye.

"Who's that?" he asks a nearby detective, Lucas.

"That's her son, Henry Mills. She wa a single mom, I guess. He was the one who found her" she says and goes back to looking at the crime scene.

He stares at the young boy and feels a pang in his chest as he remembers his son, at home with his ex wife.

Later, when he's studying Regina he holds a level of respect for her.

John feels sorry for her.

Scarlet detests her.

But he, he respects her because even after she went to jail, lost her son, was blackmailed into being complicent in murders and beatings she still worked hard to get her and her son back to a good place and did charity work.

In the end they discovered it was three people, a doctor and drug dealer, Grumpy (who Regina was in the middle of selling out to the police) had joined together with Regina's ex boyfriend to kill her.

The ex boyfriend, Sidney kept repeating the number 4 while in custody.

1 2 3 4

He said that was how long it took.

4 seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ms. Mills?" she spun around and sighed.

"Dr. Hopper" she said, her body tense. Dr. Archie Hopper, the school counselor seemed to believe that she was troubled and that she needed to take some counseling sessions with him.

"I just wanted to speak with you about-"

"Not now Hopper"

"If you can just give me-"

"I'm very at the moment, I have a meeting in half an hour. Maybe if you can come and see me next week" she said tersely.

"Yes but this will only take a moment-"

"I'm sorry Dr. Hopper. If you'll excuse me" she hurried him towards the door. His mouth was open, trying to interrupt her.

"This way Dr. Hopper" she opened the door, running face first into a stranger.

"Ms. Mills?" the stranger asked and before she could answer Dr. Hopper spoke up.

"When are you available next week? I'm free-"

"Not now Dr. Hopper. I'll send you an email about it some other time" he said and gently shoved him out of the office. She closed the door in his face.

"I'm sorry about that. Regina Mills" she sighed and extended her hand towards the stranger. It was the first good look she'd gotten at him. He was tall, with sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and a bit of scruff on his square jaw. She felt herself blushing, he was very, as her students called it, hot.

"Robin Locksley. The new English teacher. Mrs. Lucas said to come back here" he said and she stared at him. Mrs Lucas?

"She said to call her Granny" he said and she nodded, things clearing up.

"Ah yes, Granny" she said, flustered. He stared at her, her cheeks growing warm and his eyes creasing in the corners.

"So, I was wondering if I could get a tour of the school?" he said quietly and she blinked, shaking her head.

"Of course. I'm sorry" she stood up, smoothing her skirt down and tossing her hair out of her face.

It turned out Mr Locksley was quite the character, and a pleasant one to be around. He made her laugh and smile and when she was promoted to a member of the school board she was finally able to kiss him like she wanted. Like he wanted.

She loved him for 60 years. Through the hard times when she was pregnant (both times), when they fought, when he got Alzheimers.

Dr. Hopper never visited her after Mr Locksley joined the staff of Storybrooke High. She was a lot more peaceful with Robin, less snapping at students, less sass to the teachers or bluntness to Dr. Hopper. And after she had Henry and Roland she was probably the nicest woman you'll ever meet.

But first she had to show Robin the school, befriend him, get dubbed "Outlaw Queen" because he stole teacher's lunches and she was the Queen of the school, fall in love, get promoted, kiss Robin, kiss him again, and get married. Everything that follows is private by orders of Trustee Mills.


	3. Chapter 3

"How did you break your arm?" a boy asks her.

She had a white plaster cast on her left arm and a bruise on the cheekbone beneath her whiskey brown left eye. The cast was decorated with stickers and badly written names in different colours.

"Ummm" she blushes. She isn't supposed to lie, but she isn't supposed to tell people what Mother does. "I fell"

He stares at her, expecting more out of the raven haired 6 year old.

"I fell down the stairs" she says this time. It's partly true. Mother pushed her down the stairs.

"Okay he says happily and sits down next to her on the grass.

"Can I sign your cast too?" he asks with an eager grin, making his blue eyes shine brighter. She nods shyly and he grabs a marker from the ground next to her.

When he's done signing she looks down at his name, Robin.

"Why don't you wear pants with your uniform like the other girls?" he asks and she ducks her head.

"Mother says all ladies must wear skirts" she recites.

Sherwood Academy requires uniforms like all other private schools. Its run by Eva and Leopold Blanchard and Mrs Blanchard is a feminist and wanted all the uniforms to have pants. But Cora sweet talked her way into making sure her daughter was properly attired for school. Mr and Mrs. Blanchard are in the middle of their divorce.

"Oh. I think you look pretty in a skirt" he says kindly and helps her off the ground, extending a hand.

She blushes and mumbles 'thank you'.

Someone calls for Robin and he waves over, walking a little before returning her.

"I gotta go. Keith needs my help. The sand fort is being attacked by zombies. Do you wanna come and play?" he asks but Regina shakes her head. Mother won't let her play with Keith or Will.

"All right" he says, disappointment crossing his face. "Maybe you can play tomorrow. See you later . . ." he pauses. He doesn't know her name.

"Regina" she says and he nods.

"See you later, Regina" he says and runs off to join his friends.

That night when she goes home and tells her father about her new friend he smiles but warns her not to tell her mother. She doesn't understand but she has learned her father is always right so she doesn't tell Mother.

Later, when her friend Tink is sent away to England, and Eva and Snow are driven out of town Regina understands. So she runs away, with Robin.


	4. Chapter 4

Her small hand trembled around the even smaller card.

They had been at the rehab centre she just got out of.

She kept telling herself she needed this. She needed to talk to someone, to get help. But she was afraid. Terrified.

What if they took Henry away again. When she went to rehab, they took him away. They put him in this house with these Mary Margaret, David, and their teenage daughter Emma. But he was her son. The only thing left of Daniel and she can't lose him again.

That's why she's getting help, so they won't take him again. And so she can be the best mother possible.

The secretary sends her a sympathetic smile and she hates it. They don't know anything about her. They always think they do. But they always sent her back to her mother, didn't put Sidney away at all.

"Regina Mills" someone calls and she stands up, straight back and high chin like her mother taught her.

She follows him into a room and she tells herself it isn't like all those others times. He isn't going to . . . . .

He clears his throat and she finally looks up at him. He has sandy brown hair and blue eyes. He's very handsome and she can't help but stare.

"I'm Dr. Robin Locksley. I take it you are Regina Mills?" he asks and she nods.

"Why are you here Regina?" he asks her and she slumps down in the char. This is where she can let loose. Where she can tell him things and he won't judge. He'll only help.

"My son . . . They're going to take him away again. I don't want them to. I need to better, I need to show that I'm capab-"

"All right Regina. Lets go back. Why are you they going to take your son away?"

He knows all of this, he knows her whole story. But she needs to say it out loud. She needs to admit everything. It's the first step.

She comes back for a long time. It helps her over time and after a few years he wishes she was the mother to his son, she's is such an amazing woman. Little does he know, someday she will be.


End file.
